Salmons Last Moments

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 25, 2009751 views17 comments

This is for Vincent since he wandered into the landscape forum!
Taken at Katmai NP this July. While you can never be sure of which direction the bear will turn or which position the salmon will be in....this particular series the bear and salmon both cooperated. It almost like like the poor salmon knew it had reached the end of the road....such is the circle of life!
Canon 1D Mark III with the 100-400mm lens at 330mm and f8 for 1/2000 sec and ISO 800.

Comments

17 comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on November 25, 2009 at 1:11 PM

Hi Roman, thanks for this! Are you gonna send me a print too??? I would love to have this stunning image on my wall!!! Seriously this is top notch. The fact that you got the eyes of both creatures in the frame, the detail, the light, the colors, the cruelty it expresses with those blooded teeth sinking into the salmon, but most impressive is that water coming out of the salmon's mouth. Unbelievable image, thanks for sharing and wandering into the Fauna Gallery Roman. Hope to see you around more often.

By the way, although I would hang it on my wall, I am sure this type of gruesome images are not hot print sellers though.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Marsel van Oosten on November 25, 2009 at 1:12 PM

Nice catch!

I like that you can see the eyes of both subjects here. Overall the shot looks a tad pale, particularly the dark tones - if you increase those a bit the shot will get even more punch.

Registered on March 9, 2004, 285 Posts, 2277 Comments

Comment posted by Roman Kurywczak on November 25, 2009 at 1:17 PM

Thanks guys! Haven't sold one yet Vincent! ......I'm not sure my wife wants it on our walls either!!!

Registered on November 20, 2009, 56 Posts, 748 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on November 25, 2009 at 2:22 PM

I'm with Vincent - if I could have a huge print of this on my wall I'd be in heaven! The action, the colors, everything is great (though I agree with Marsel about punching up the darks - my co-worker who saw the image wondered if it was blasted with a flash from a few feet away).

- Luke

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on November 25, 2009 at 6:22 PM

Smoking Cool Shot! I especially like the eye contact between the salmon and bear. Excellent work Roman!!!

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on November 25, 2009 at 8:38 PM

Great image! Love the detail in the bear and the eye of the salmon. It is as if he is looking at the bear and begging for his life!

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 25, 2009 at 10:07 PM

The eye contact makes this more about the salmon than the bear! Well done! I agree a bit of contrast boost or slight darkening of the fish and bear would make it pop even more.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on November 25, 2009 at 10:28 PM

Wow, this is a great photo Roman. The swirling waters frame the bear and salmon very nicely. That red and green spawner's color really stands out. The head of the bear and the salmon creates a strong triangular composition that I really find appealing. To top it off the focus is dead on, very sharp. Nicely Done!!!

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on November 26, 2009 at 10:09 AM

Hi Roman,

Well, after seeing this I hope you come out of the closet (i.e., the landscape gallery) more often! Besides what everyone else has said positive about this image (which I completely agree with), I also appreciate the difficult exposure situation you faced here (with that very white bubbling water) - and how well you handled it. I am in agreement with Marsel's suggestion as it does currently have the "flash-fill look" (and it doesn't appear that you did use a flash) that will disappear somewhat with slightly deeper dark tones on the bears.

Cheers...well done - looking forward to your next visit to the Fauna Gallery...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Brandon Sideleau on November 26, 2009 at 4:24 PM

Wow....now this is a special image. The wetness of the bear and the sharp as a knife quality- it's simply remarkable. One thing I've noticed about the Mark series and the 40D are that they handle noise exceptionally well at a high iso. I have been shooting my 40D at 640-800 without any visual hitches. Seeing shots like this is an inspiration- thanks for sharing.

Registered on October 6, 2006, 79 Posts, 173 Comments

Comment posted by Carl Donohue on November 27, 2009 at 2:36 AM

Hey Roman

Brooks Falls is such a cool place, to be able to get this kind of thing is awesome. I don't think many people really understand how hard it is to get both the salmon and the bear so cleanly as you've done here.

Doesn't look flashed to me, just like you shot it in some decent light - while so many grizzly bear shots tend to be in overcast - I much prefer this.

Cheers

Carl

Registered on November 1, 2003, 46 Posts, 589 Comments

Comment posted by Joe James on November 29, 2009 at 2:25 PM

Great job Roman! I love the reds against the white foam. This is a wonderful picture. Nothing I can suggest, just want to say congrats on a fine post. You're right about Brooks, it really is a special place. Thanks for sharing this one with us.

Registered on November 20, 2009, 89 Posts, 808 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on December 1, 2009 at 12:46 PM

Congrats Roman, great to see you over here at NPN

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by mark cillo on December 2, 2009 at 3:25 PM

Really cool image!